Block-finishing apparatus.



E. LAJEUNESSE.

BLOCK FINISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, I9I5- 1,218,780. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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EUCLID LAJEUNESSE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BLOCK-FINISHING APPARATUS.

w Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application filed September 17, 1915. Serial No. 51,273.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EUCLID LAJEUNESSE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Block- Finishing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical and effective apparatus especially devised for refinishing the working surface of butchers blocks, the said apparatus being universally adjustable, whereby it may be fitted to any of the varied sizes of blocks used and it is also arranged to be both knockdown and portable, where by said apparatus can be conveniently carried from place to place for refinishing blocks used in the trade as .part of the store furniture.

Specific objects are to provide an adjustable block clamping frame comprising a pair of telescopic track members arranged to be assembled in sections in order that the apparatus can be knocked down in a compact mass for transportation;

To provide a longitudinally traveling bridge adapted to be adjustable as to length and arranged to travel on the track rails of the main frame and above the face of the block;

To provide a transverselymovable wormfed cutter-carrying carriage that is supported upon rails of the bridge;

To provide selective cutting tools with which the carriage is equipped whereby the apparatus may be used as a manually driven planer or motor driven rotary cutter, and

To provide means for feeding the cuttercarrying carriage forward to its work.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view. of an apparatus embodying the features of my in,- vention with parts broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate certain details of construction, the said apparatus being shown aflixed to a butchers block;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same, the section being indicated by line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3, a detailed transverse sectional elevation of the same, the section being indi cated by line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4;, a detailed sectional view of a carriage feed mechanism;

Fig. 5, a front elevation of the carriage illustrating the arrangement of planer knives, with parts in section asindicated upon lines 55 of Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 6 illustrates a sectional view showing an offset form of shoe constituting one of the bridge elements;

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the means for adj ustably holding the planer head rods.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents a butchers block, to the sides of which are fitted rail strips formed into telescopic sections 2, 2, the said sections being in tongue and groove engagement and secured by clamping bolts 3. The outer ends of the side rails are transversely connected by flexible tie-stretches 4:, preferably in the form of chains, as shown. The ends of the chains are secured in eye-bolts 5, which eyebolts are adjustably mounted in the rail members and held by thumb-screws 5 that are in threaded union with the shanks of the eye-bolts 5. By this arrangement the rail members, which, together with the chain stretches 4c, constitute a clamping frame for the block, may be affixed to the sides of such blocks varying in proportions, the loose ends of the chains being connected to the tie-bolts in suitable links and are thereafter made taut by manipulating the thumb screws. The rails of this frame, when affixed to the block, are positioned upon a plane relative to the working surface of the block, whereby said surface is planed of'f smoothly at a predetermined depth by mechanism to be hereinafter described. The side rails of the main frame form supports for slidable shoes 6, 6, which shoes are preferably formed in matched sections and are clamped together by bolts 6. The upper or cap sections of the shoes thus clamped firmly engage the ends of tie-rods 7 constituting rail members and the said shoes are also provided with central apertures for the reception of a threaded spindle 8, the shank end of which is socketed within the juxtaposed shoe to form a bearing whereby the spindle is held against endwise movement, This end of the spindle is 116 also provided with a crank 8 in the form of a wheel whereby the screw is manually manipulated, it being understood that the opposite end of the screw is adapted to turn freely within the aperture formed in the corresponding shoe. By this arrangement the bridge can be contracted or expanded longitudinally to conform to the distance between the rails of the main frame, whereby said shoes are arranged to slide back and forth upon the rails, being guided in their movement by depending lips which overlap the rails, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The longitudinal connections of the carriage comprising the rails and threaded spindle are'adapted to travel back and forth above the face of the block to be finished and, mounted upon the bridge rails 7 is a carriage 9 having feet 9 that engage said rails. The carriage is provided with an upwardly extended bracket 10 for the support of a motor 11, which motor may be of the electric type or the same may be in the form of an internal combustion engine as the circumstances -warrant. The motor is arranged with a gear connection for imparting drive to a spindle 12, which spindle is journaled in a suitable bearing projecting from the carriage and its lower end has detachably secured thereto a rotary cutter head 13 in the form of a surface saw.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the carriage is also provided with laterally extended cars 14 having squared apertures therein for the reception of correspondingly squared tool-carrying rods 15. The outer ends of these rods have aflixed thereto oppositely inclined cutters or shaving knives 16, the cutting edges of which are arranged upon a horizontal plane. These knives or planers also carry vertically disposed blades 16, which blades are designed to sever a shaving that is lifted from the block by the cutting edges of the obliquely disposed knife sections 16. The planer rods are adapted to slide back and forth within their retaining cars 14 and may be locked in their adjusted position by spring plungers 14 with which the ears are provided, the said plungers being fitted into suitable notches formed in the rods 15. Thus when the planer-heads are adjusted back and forth so as to present cutting faces upon different planes, they are securely locked, the adjustment being effected by manipulating the rods which are provided with handles for this purpose.

It isobvious that the planer head "rods may, without departing from the spirit of my invention be held in any desired manner wherebythe planer heads may be adjusted forwardly or backwardly. When'the planer heads are utilized for finishing the surface of the block, it should be understood that the rotary cutter is removed. This equipment of cutting mechanism is provided in order that the machine may be either manipulated by power or by hand as conditions warrant.

The carriage 9 has pivoted thereto a frag" mentary nut 17 having a handle 17 extending therefrom, which nut is arranged to engage the threaded spindle when it is desired to feed the cai'riage transversely of the block by manipulating said threaded spindle and if, at any time, it is desirable to shift the carriage quickly the nut can be manually lifted to effect such shift.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the carriage has also pivoted thereto a bail 18 carryingone way pivoted clutch pawls 19 upon short arms of said bail. These clutch pawls are arranged to engage the surface of the block, whereby the carriage is fed step by step over said block in a longitudinal direction when the bail is manipulated similar in form to the action of a pinch-bar.

From the foregoing description it will be manifest that the carriage carrying the cutting mechanism can be fed transversely of the block and longitudinally of the block coincident to a surface-planing operation.

lVhileI have shown-and described in detail a complete apparatus illustrating one exemplification of my invention to accom plish all of the desired results, it is obvious that I may, without departing from the spirit of said invention, vary the mechanical construction within'the knowledge of skilled mechanics, as, for example, other feed mechanism may be employed as a substitute for the bail 1S and various changes may be made in the construction of the cutting mecha-' nism.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of shoe 6 for the bridge, inwhich form said shoe is provided with an inwardly ofl'set track foot 20, whereby clearance is had to permit the carriage to move beyond or overhang the sides of the blocks in order that the cutting apparatus may clear the edge of said block for convenience in finishing.

It should be'understood that the arrangement of planer heads shown and described, whereby they are shiftable, is for the purpose of facilitating the cut, as, for example, when the carriage is traveling in the direction of the arrow (indicated in Fig. 1),. the shaving knife marked 00 is effecting a cut and the opposite shaving knife is traveling idly'over a surface previously finished. After the carriage has reached a point at a predetermined distance from the opposite edge of the block, the idle knife blade 16 is shifted forward in alinement with the blade 00, and the latter is retracted. Thus the previously idle blade is now in position to complete the cut'started from the opposite side of the block by the knife w. Hence, as the direction of travel of the carriage is reversed, the cut is completed by the knife which had previously been traveling idle. Thus said knives alternately finish stretches of a single out upon the block. By this arrangement of planer knives the machine can readily be set to effect a out which will require manual power only.

It is also manifest that when the machine is utilized as a power driven cutting apparatus, the depth of cut may be much greater and the speed of the machine is proportionately accelerated.

I claim:

1. A block finishing apparatus comprising a main clamping frame including side rails adapted for engagement with the sides of a block and transverse tie members adjustably connected to the ends of the rails, a bridge including shoes in slidable union with the said side rails, and rails connecting the shoes, the connection of one of the shoes with the bridge rails being adjustable whereby to compensate for variations in the distance between the side rails of the clamping frame, a threaded spindle upon the bridge in parallel relation to the rails thereof, a cut ter carrying carriage reciprocally mounted upon the bridge rails and a nut carried by the carriage-for engagement with the threaded spindle.

2. A block finishing apparatus comprising a main clamping frame including side rails adapted for engagement with the sides of a block and transverse tie members adjustably connected to the ends of the rails, a bridge including shoes in slidable union with the said side rails and rails connecting the shoes, a threaded spindle upon the bridge in parallel relation to its rails, a cutter carrying carriage reciprocally mounted upon the bridge rails, a nut carried by the carriage for engagement with the threaded spindle, and means carried by the carriage and engageable with a block for advancing the bridge.

3. In a block finishing apparatus including side rails adapted for securement at the side of a block and a bridge including shoes in slidable union with the side rails and bridge rails connecting the shoes, the combination of a cutter carrying carriage reciprocally mounted upon the bridge rails, and means for advancing the carriage and bridge comprising a lever member intermediately pivoted to the carriage and 'a pawl pivoted to the lever and adapted to grippingly engage a block in one direction of movement.

4. In a block finishing apparatus the combination with a bridge member adapted for securement over a block for movement thereover of a cutter carriage reciprocally m0unted upon the bridge rail, non-rotatable bars carried by the carriage and adjustable in the direction of movement of the bridge, inclined knife plates carried by the bars and vertical knife sections carried by the bars and coacting with respective inclined plates.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

EUCLID LAJEUNESSE.

v Witnesses:

GEO. W. YOUNG, M. E. DOWNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

